Five Big-Picture Takeaways from Eagles’ Week 10 Loss vs Dolphins
By Somers Price
2.) Special Teams Can No Longer Be Considered a Strength for the Eagles
Nov 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles punter Donnie Jones (8) warms up before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
Already sporting a 16-3 lead and having driven the ball straight down the Dolphins’ throats for a third straight time before stalling deep in Miami territory, Caleb Sturgis lined up for a chance to put his former team down 16 points early in the 2nd quarter. Surgis, coming off his best showing to date as an Eagle, had already knocked in a pair of extra points and would be attempting a try from the same distance. From his own left hashmark, Sturgis badly missed the chip shot field goal wide right and gave the, until-then, hapless Dolphins a rallying point.
After the defense had held off a deep Miami penetration to the tune of a field goal, the Eagles still led by a comfortable 10 points. With just under seven minutes in the half, Donnie Jones had his punt blocked by Zach Vigil and pushed out-of-bounds at the Eagles 12-yard-line. Miami made quick work of the premiere field position and scored their first touchdown of the game to make it 16-13. In a half where the offense had its first good start in weeks and the defense appeared to have shaken off its early game woes, the once vaunted Eagles special teams unit let the Dolphins back in the game.
It’s hard to call the Eagles special teams a weakness at this point. Unlike some teams over the past few years, one does not cringe at the thought of the team trying to cover a punt or kickoff. For the most part, one can rest easy knowing that the Eagles won’t be muffing too many punts or making questionable decisions on returns. Unfortunately, the phase of the game that was historically good for the Eagles in 2014 is very much ordinary-at-best this season.
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The Dolphins were very unafraid to punt the ball to Darren Sproles on Sunday. A team struggling for answers heading into Sunday’s matchup used special teams to create a spark that ignited the rest of its talented roster to a win that very few expected. On the flip side, the Eagles allowed slip-ups on plays most teams make in their sleep to turn the tide of the game. Unfortunately, the offense and defense were unable to punch back after the special teams unit gave Miami a window.
Last week, I identified Caleb Sturgis as a capable kicker. One missed 32-yard field goal does not change that. Unfortunately, it only reinforces the urgency that either Cody Parkey return to full form in the future, or the Eagles find themselves a kicker they can hang their hat on in any situation. Special teams is something that is usually only discussed when it’s operating historically well or poorly. Unlike 2014, the Eagles are finding themselves on the wrong side of that discussion far too often as of late.
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